Missionary Positions: How a Real Estate Agent Does It.

Today’s post comes to us from Julie Shreve (who I met in real life at a bloggers meet up last month in Atlanta! How cool is that?! and) who shows us that sometimes, even in real estate, it’s best to just shut up and listen. Love it!…. ….. ….

How a real estate agent does it

When I first started in real estate a few years ago I did a lot of talking. I could tell you what I thought were the coolest and best features of each room. I would let you ask me questions, and then I would come up with an answer as best I could. Sometimes it was the exact answer you were looking for. Sometimes it was, “I don’t know, but I’ll find out.”

I did a lot of talking.

In fact, I did way more talking than I sold homes.

What I had forgotten is that you could see all of these things for yourself. It was just my job to invite you to look and then let you in.

I had to readjust my priorities. I didn’t get into the job to talk people into buying a house that they didn’t really want. I got into real estate to help people find a place to love, a place where they would want to spend the rest of their lives and, most importantly, a place to call home.

Come to think of it, that’s not why I’m a follower of Christ either. I don’t invite people to church so I can talk them into this religion thing. It’s my job to meet you where you’re at and invite you in. I want you to come see the wonderful things that Christ has to offer, but it’s not my job to try and convince you that this is the way you need to go. I can’t forget that you’re invited to look and see for yourself. I can’t talk you into anything.

So I talk a lot less about houses these days. I try to engage you in conversations about what you like and what you don’t like, whether it be something to do with a house or your favorite yoga class. I want to know you. That’s the most important thing.

Because the longer I go through this life, the more I find that it’s not what you say. It’s how you listen. And it’s not what you do. It’s how you love.

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About Me

When people ask me what I write about, I usually say something like, “Oh it’s just a faith and lifestyle blog.” And that’s true. But the deeper reality is that these pages contain the deconstruction of my faith, the foibles and failures of my life, and, occasionally, moments of triumph, grace, and humility. From my opinions on the dumpster fire we call Christian missions to a tutorial for baking a pie into a cake, around here you’ll find a little bit of everything.

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